Those who have already surpassed level 30 in Pokémon GO and think they will be at the top soon are mistaken: the road to maximum level 40 is still quite long.
This is the maximum level: “Gotta catch ’em all” is the motto of Pokémon. In Pokémon GO, however, you can not only pursue the completion of the Pokédex as your highest goal, but also the maximum level 40. At least until an increase in the level cap comes.
If you have reached the highest level, you have probably seen pretty much everything in Pokémon GO. Because reaching level 40 takes a hell of a long time.
How much XP do you need for level 40?
How long does it take to reach level 40? How long it ultimately takes depends entirely on how intensely you play. One thing is certain: it takes a long while. To find out how long it approximately takes for you, there is even a level calculator.
A calculation from the site “Dexerto” results in 460 weeks to reach level 40. This assumes an average day that proceeds as follows:
- 10 spun PokéStops
- 10 caught Pokémon
- Completed a tier 3 raid
- Hatched a 2km egg
- Defeated a gym with 4 Pokémon
This is a quite simple mix of activities that brings in 5,500 XP per day. Due to bonuses, an additional 500 is added over the week. This would mean 43,500 XP per week. It actually sounds like quite a lot. Why would it still take so long to reach the top level with this output?
This is how to achieve level-ups: To increase the level in Pokémon GO, trainers must collect XP. At first, this goes relatively quickly and you will see the “Level Up” screen repeatedly. But over time, it takes longer and longer to reach the next level – the gaps grow with the levels. You can see exactly what this looks like here in the table:
| Level | Required XP for the next level | Total XP |
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 3 | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| 4 | 3,000 | 6,000 |
| 5 | 4,000 | 10,000 |
| 6 | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| 7 | 6,000 | 21,000 |
| 8 | 7,000 | 28,000 |
| 9 | 8,000 | 36,000 |
| 10 | 9,000 | 45,000 |
| 11 | 10,000 | 55,000 |
| 12 | 10,000 | 65,000 |
| 13 | 10,000 | 75,000 |
| 14 | 10,000 | 85,000 |
| 15 | 15,000 | 100,000 |
| 16 | 20,000 | 140,000 |
| 17 | 20,000 | 140,000 |
| 18 | 20,000 | 160,000 |
| 19 | 25,000 | 185,000 |
| 20 | 25,000 | 210,000 |
| 21 | 50,000 | 260,000 |
| 22 | 75,000 | 335,000 |
| 23 | 100,000 | 435,000 |
| 24 | 125,000 | 560,000 |
| 25 | 150,000 | 710,000 |
| 26 | 190,000 | 900,000 |
| 27 | 200,000 | 1,100,000 |
| 28 | 250,000 | 1,350,000 |
| 29 | 300,000 | 1,650,000 |
| 30 | 350,000 | 2,000,000 |
| 31 | 500,000 | 2,500,000 |
| 32 | 500,000 | 3,000,000 |
| 33 | 750,000 | 3,750,000 |
| 34 | 1,000,000 | 4,750,000 |
| 35 | 1,250,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 36 | 1,500,000 | 7,500,000 |
| 37 | 2,000,000 | 9,500,000 |
| 38 | 2,500,000 | 12,000,000 |
| 39 | 3,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
| 40 | 5,000,000 | 20,000,000 |
A long way to level 40: As seen in the table, the gaps keep getting larger. While you need to collect only 10,000 XP to jump from level 10 to level 11, from level 20 to 21, it’s already a full 50,000 XP.
From level 30 to 31 it is then a whole 500,000 – and at level 34, the required XP breaks the million mark. At the latest, it gets really tough. If you have made it to level 35, you have only just accumulated a little over a quarter of the required XP for level 40.
How do I get the XP? Almost every action in the game earns you XP – just not necessarily much. For example, you earn XP for:
- Spinning PokéStops (50 XP)
- Catching new Pokémon (500) and already known monsters (100)
- Throw bonuses like Curveball (10 extra XP) or great throw (100)
- Hatching eggs (10km eggs give 1000 XP)
- Daily bonuses like the first PokéStop of the day (500 XP)
Many points are also awarded for completing raids – 3000 for a tier 1, and 10,000 for tier 5. Additionally, there are XP bonuses for forming friendships with trainers. It is worthwhile to find new Pokémon friends: the highest level “best friend” brings a whopping 100,000 XP. One trainer used exactly this method, to collect 19.3 million XP in an incredibly short time.
Where can I get more XP? The item “Lucky Egg” doubles the XP gained per action, but is time-limited. There are also events like the Spotlight Hour, where you can earn bonus XP. You should definitely take advantage of these.
Have you already reached the maximum level and are looking for new challenges? Then Mega Evolutions might be exciting for you – the new forms are set to come to the game soon.
